


a moment away from you (makes me go insane)

by riverdalenerdlol



Series: Riverdalenerdlol's canon fangirling [5]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: 4x14-15, Betty POV, Betty knows Jughead is alive but she often thinks about how he very much could have died, F/M, Fake Deaths, Fluff, Hurt and comfort, Jughead is stuck in the bunker with nothing to do, Mentions of Violence, Mostly Canon Compliant, Smut, a lil bit of stalking, fake murders too, pretty much anything that happens between 4x14 and 15 plus a few scenes I added myself, the entire thing kinda throws betty for a whirl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:34:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23035588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riverdalenerdlol/pseuds/riverdalenerdlol
Summary: Keeping up the act was taxing, even for one with as strong a mind and will as Betty Cooper.In that split second that Jughead had almost died, she had almost caved in on herself. They were both lucky that they had been quick to respond. Betty, once coming back to herself, directed Archie to start chest compressions and Veronica to stop Jughead’s bleeding. After so many compressions, Betty administered Jughead a rescue breath, pleading and pleading for him to wake up. She couldn’t lose him. She just couldn’t.She thought she’d done it, for a while, as Jughead was barely conscious enough to tell them not to go to a hospital. She cried tears of joy when he came back into consciousness even though she was already crying and panicking. Jughead had fallen unconscious again, but now they knew he had a fighting chance against death. He’d shed a lot of blood from a cut on his forehead, a cut that Veronica had been tasked with keeping pressure on. She was holding Jughead’s own beanie to his forehead.ORMy more detailed take on 4x14-15Canon Compliant + fluff, smut, and lots of crying7th BFFAs - NOMINEE CANON MISSING MOMENT/FAVORITE BETTY or JUGHEAD
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Series: Riverdalenerdlol's canon fangirling [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1519778
Comments: 14
Kudos: 119
Collections: 7th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees





	a moment away from you (makes me go insane)

**Author's Note:**

> Updated to be completely canon compliant - 12MAR2020
> 
> Prompt: You know you're the only man for me (plus everything that led up to that)

Keeping up the act was taxing, even for one with as strong a mind and will as Betty Cooper. 

In that split second that Jughead had almost died, she had almost caved in on herself. They were both lucky that they had been quick to respond. Betty, once coming back to herself, directed Archie to start chest compressions and Veronica to stop Jughead’s bleeding. After so many compressions, Betty administered Jughead a rescue breath, pleading and pleading for him to wake up. She couldn’t lose him. She just couldn’t. 

She thought she’d done it, for a while, as Jughead was barely conscious enough to tell them not to go to a hospital. She cried tears of joy when he came back into consciousness even though she was already crying and panicking. Jughead had fallen unconscious again, but now they knew he had a fighting chance against death. He’d shed a lot of blood from a cut on his forehead, a cut that Veronica had been tasked with keeping pressure on. She was holding Jughead’s own beanie to his forehead. 

It was when Betty got a grip on reality that the four of them came up with a plan. She called Charles in a panic, and he calmed her down enough to get just enough of a plan drafted for then. Archie picked up Jughead on his back and the three of them ran and met Charles on an adjacent road. He’d brought first responders that would keep Jughead alive secretly. Once Archie dropped off Jughead’s body with the paramedics, Charles instructed them to burn their clothes and wash off before going home. Charles left with the discreet ambulance while Archie and Veronica went into the woods. Betty lingered a moment longer, watching Jughead be carted off. 

They started a bonfire in the woods and burned all of their clothes. They came up with a plan for if Jughead didn’t make it and only if Jughead didn’t make it. They weren’t yet sure if she’d done it or if someone else had. 

She just wanted to be by Jughead’s side. 

It was 3AM when Betty was dropped off at her house. She thought she’d been quiet and discreet, but her mother found her. Naturally. She had questions. Naturally. And she was angered about coming back after her curfew. Normal. Then she noticed how she didn’t have any clothes on. When Alice Smith said Jughead’s name, Betty almost collapsed into a broken, sobbing puddle. She excused herself and ran back to her room. 

Betty couldn’t look herself in the mirror, she could only think about Jughead’s blood all over her, how he’d almost died… and she suddenly felt crushed by the weight of her secret. 

She threw up in her bathroom and felt empty when Jughead wasn’t there to hold her hair back or help clean her up (what he usually did when she had sickness spells like that). 

Betty found it hard to sleep that night. 

She found it hard to sleep every night after that. 

Charles dropped by before school to let Betty know that Jughead had been in a coma since the FBI had taken medical custody of him. 

Betty needed JB’s fake blood later that day… and the younger teenager admitted that she had heard her. She was smart, Betty knew. She told her that her brother was okay - but Jughead had gone into a coma… and not even Betty knew if he would be alright. That same day, they discovered that Betty had been drugged. She wasn’t the one who hit Jughead. It was one of the Stonies. 

It was late when Charles called Betty the day after that, asking her to come down to his office. He told her that Jughead had woken for his coma and that he was ready to see her. When her blonde half-brother opened the door, Betty bolted in and almost jumped on her boyfriend. He was amused, but she was in tears as she clung to him. 

“You should know by now that a pebble would never cause the death of Jughead Jones,” he told her. 

“Stop joking, I’ve been upset for two days, Forsythe - TWO DAYS.” 

Betty called Archie and Veronica down into Charles’ FBI headquarters so that they could come see Jughead and so that they could come up with a much larger plan together. 

Charles let Betty spend the night with Jughead in his hospital bed. It was the last time they’d sleep side by side for another week, and Betty needed that time with Jughead. 

When their plan had gotten to the point where they were ready for everyone to see that he was “dead,” Dr. Curdle Jr. came into the mix. They paid him small bills for makeup and to pretend that Jughead was dead. It was then that Betty needed to bring FP Jones into the game. They needed a search party, and they needed him on their side. Betty was the one that told him that Jughead was okay. FP was a little angry at first, but he understood once he heard what really happened. 

Jughead was taken into the woods by Charles and he laid on the ground until the search party came. He was carted off to the morgue where Dr. Curdle Jr. pronounced him “dead.” When Donna and Bret showed up, it just sweetened the deal. They saw Jughead laying on the table in full dead-body makeup and that was it before Betty slammed the door on them again. Just like that, it was over. Jughead raised his hand and Betty gave him a high five as they both grinned. FP finally got a moment with his son… then Charles came to take Jughead to their next planned location - the bunker. 

Betty went with them and that’s where she had to say a teary goodbye to him. She knew she wasn’t going to be able to see him for a while with everything going on and keeping up the facade. She clung to him for a few minutes before Charles pulled her off of him again so that he could take her home. 

Archie later brought his mom into the circle - it helped to have another adult they could trust, a lawyer no less. They all knew that things were soon to get sticky. 

Archie also managed to smuggle clothes and supplies to the bunker. Betty wanted to, but they all knew that Donna was focused in on her and they knew Betty would want to stay there. They couldn’t have that. She did make one trip there, however, to set up the murder board in the bunker so that Jughead would have something to keep him occupied while they enacted their plan. 

After Yale called the Cooper-Jones residence, offering Betty their open slot, she broke again. She imagined that Jughead had actually died on the Ides of March when she realized Yale was offering her Jughead’s slot. Around the same time, Alice started her documentary. 

Hiding things from Alice Smith was like trying to hide treats from a bloodhound. Betty wanted to protest the film’s making, but FP told her not to. Betty tried to lessen the weight on her shoulders by going to Pop’s and picking up a coffee. 

It was there that she ran into Cheryl. While Betty appreciated her cousin’s concern and sympathy, she didn’t really want Cheryl’s service - no matter how genuine it was (because Betty knew that Cheryl wouldn’t joke about the situation she seemed to be in). Even though Betty felt like part of her was missing without Jughead beside her to support her in the stressful situation she had put herself in, and she hadn’t been sleeping too well because they couldn’t communicate, she didn’t want to admit that she wasn’t in the best state of mind. She tried brushing Cheryl off, but she insisted and Betty couldn’t blame her. 

After the awkward interaction with her cousin, Betty went off to Stonewall to collect the last of Jughead’s things. She got emotional while packing up his photos - again thinking about how Jughead could have really died that night. She couldn’t imagine living the rest of her life without him. Throughout senior year, she couldn’t help but picture them going through college together, getting married away from Riverdale, and settling down with him. She would take his last name and drop her father’s, and do her best to forget the bad things that had happened all throughout high school - the Black Hood, the Gargoyle King, all of the bullshit she was currently going through. They’d leave and never return to the spot of their most vivid traumas - the ones that kept both of them awake at night. 

Bret showed his nasty face, to no one’s surprise, shattering her hopeful idea of their future. After his smug smile and gelled hair had blown her daydream to smithereens, she left… but not before she planted Jughead’s Quill and Skull tie pin in Donna’s desk drawer. 

On the way home, she called FP and told him that there was incriminating evidence in Donna's possession. 

Little did she know that would all backfire on her so spectacularly. The next day in science class, FP arrested her, Veronica, and Archie. They were eventually released after the forensics on the false rock came back, but Betty knew that the entire thing was Donna’s play. The night they were released, Betty had somehow managed to sleep with the help of a dose of melatonin, a lavender candle she’d used before bed, and a cup of chamomile. 

Donna naturally had to call her at three in the morning, waking Betty from the best sleep she’d gotten in the past three weeks. The prep was ranting about how Jughead’s death must have been faked. Betty couldn’t shrug it off, but managed to keep her composure as she lied right through her phone. She informed Veronica and Archie, telling them that they were going to put on a fake funeral for Jughead with the Stonewall Four invited. She set up a camera in the living room so Jughead could watch. 

It went as expected. Donna tried to harass Jellybean and Betty was in the process of kicking her out when Bret tried to make a scene. He was stopped by the brute force that was Sweet Pea and all of the Stonies were forced to make a swift exit. 

Rumors started spreading that Jughead could be alive after the funeral. Betty cried herself to sleep, wishing Jughead was there to dry her tears. It still wasn’t safe to go see him with Donna so hot on her trail. 

For their next move, Archie came back from the bunker away later with a plan. He didn’t like it - it had been Jughead’s idea - but he couldn’t deny that it was a good plan. They would use Cheryl’s eavesdropping skills to their advantage. She caught onto Betty and Archie’s conversation in Pop’s and created a vigil for Jughead at his old locker. 

Betty hadn’t expected such sincerity in the way that it came. She imagined once more a world without Jughead in it. A small sob betrayed her composure as she ran off. Archie was right on her tail, as planned. 

It took her a moment before she could bring herself back to the present. Hugging Archie helped calm her down, and she was then able to focus back on the plan. She didn’t want to kiss this childhood best friend, but she had to when she saw Cheryl looking through the window. It wasn’t unpleasant, but Betty knew that Jughead’s lips were softer, warmer, more comforting. Jughead made sparks fly in her head when they kissed. Betty didn’t want to describe kissing Archie as kissing a dead fish, but… 

Her standards had raised significantly since Jughead had entered her life. That was the truth of it all. 

Veronica went off on them an hour or two later, as planned. It was effective, too. Quite believable, Betty had to say. 

Donna even visited Betty that night as she was working late in the Blue and Gold, once more insisting that Jughead was alive. Betty couldn’t help but smirk to herself internally - Donna was starting to pull at strings. She was desperate. 

Betty didn’t crack. 

Phase Two of their plan was in motion. 

Betty knew that Donna would follow her from school, so she texted Archie and told him to go to the bunker and promised that dinner was on her. She drove to Pop’s, smirking triumphantly as she pulled away. Betty had seen Donna lurking. She purposely looked suspicious as she went into the bunker, and she was unsurprised when Donna showed up. 

The look of disgust on Donna’s face when she saw that Betty was all over Archie was priceless. She wished Jughead had taken a picture of it from his place under the cot, but his anonymity was of the utmost importance. 

After Donna left and the trap door shut with a solid clank, they all burst into laughter. Betty threw Archie’s shirt at him as Jughead slid out from under the bed, wheezing with a smile on his face. As their laughter died down, Betty distributed milkshakes and burgers to everyone. They ate together, unable to look each other in the eye without almost choking on their food. It felt like the Three Musketeers again - old times. 

When Archie was done, he left, claiming homework. Betty knew it was just so she could have some alone time with Jughead. She fiddled with the straw of her milkshake while Jughead finished off her fries. 

“Hey,” he said softly, placing his hand on top of hers gently and stopping her movements. Betty looked into his crystal blue eyes - the ones she wanted to see first thing in the morning for the rest of her life. He didn’t have his beanie (they’d burned it) and his dark hair had piled on top of his head in its unruly state. This had been the longest he had gone without a head covering of some sort since he got the beanie. He looked handsome. And concerned. “What’s going on?” 

“Nothing,” she lied. Betty missed him. Deeply. She let him slide his hand into hers, pulling it away from the milkshake straw to lay on the table. He stroked the healing scars on her palm tenderly (she’d reopened them the day after his fake death when she went to plant a bug in his dorm). 

“Betty,” he replied, looking at her knowingly. “Don’t run away from me now.” 

“I’m fine, Jug.” 

“No, you’re not,” he told her. “You look miserable. Have you been sleeping?” 

“Yes, I’ve been sleeping.” Jughead looked at her pointedly. “No,” she admitted with a sigh. “Not well.” 

“Why?” 

“It’s just everything,” she informed him. “I walk around town and school portraying the widow all day. I have to pretend you’re dead and you’re not coming back… and that hurts.” Jughead held her hand comfortingly. 

“I’m right here. You know I’m alive.” 

“But what if you weren’t?” She asked. “What if you’d died that night in the woods, Jughead? What then?” 

“Is that what you think about all day, Betty? Because all I think about is how wonderful it’s going to be when I can finally get out of here and be with you again,” he replied. “I don’t think about anything but you out there kicking Donna’s ass in this convoluted game the Stonies started.” 

“I wish you were there with me, Jug,” she whimpered, her emotions beginning to overwhelm her. “Every day all I wish is that you were fighting this battle with me.” 

“And I am, Betty,” he told her. “I am fighting with you.” 

“You know what I mean!” She added. “I wish you were right next to me. I wish I could sleep next to you again. I wish I could see you without risking Donna finding out where you are, Jug!” 

Betty’s eyes clouded with tears as her jaw trembled. Her chin ducked down and hit her chest. She lost the battle with her despair. Before she could choke back a sob, Jughead had her securely in his arms and seated her in his lap. Her floodgates opened, allowing all of her emotions to pour out of her. She slung her arms around Jughead’s neck and buried her face in his shoulder. 

“I don’t want to be without you, Juggie,” she cried softly, teardrops accumulating on her eyelashes while Jughead held her to his chest. 

“Baby, look at me,” he whispered. She shook her head from his shoulder. “Betty,” he stated. “Look at me, Betty.” Jughead managed to get her to look at him, but even then he had to tilt her chin up so he could see her glassy green eyes, and the redness that had developed with her tears. “I am never going to leave you. Ever. Okay?” She looked away and he pulled her right back. “Hey. I’m right here.” 

“You’ve almost died twice in the past three years,” she whispered. “What if someone tries to finish the job?” 

“Betty,” he stated. 

“What then, Jug?” She sniffled, holding back more tears. “What happens when I lose you?” 

“After we graduate—“ 

“There’s two months until then, I don’t trust that something stupid won’t happen to us between then and now.” 

“After we graduate—“ he started again, cupping her face and wiping away her tears with his thumbs. “— I’m going to get us away from here and all of the terrible things that have happened to us here. We don’t have to stay in touch with anyone, we can just go. I don’t care where, so long as it’s with you, Betty, but I promise I’ll get us both away from here… and soon, I hope, I’ll be able to rejoin you in the land of the living, okay?” 

“I want to sleep next to you tonight,” Betty whispered, changing the subject. “Let me stay the night with you. Please.” 

“Betty—“ 

“Please, Jughead.” 

“I can’t let you do that,” he replied softly. “But I’ll let you sleep next to me for a little bit.” 

“Okay,” she replied. Jughead stood up with Betty in his arms and seated them on the cot. She slid off of his lap and circled her arms around his torso as they laid down together. Betty was exhausted and her eyelids started drooping almost immediately while Jughead was working on pulling the covers up to keep them warm. She fell asleep nuzzled into his chest before he could ask if she was comfortable. 

Betty woke a while later, Jughead spooning her from behind with his arms wrapped around her waist. She tried to roll over and look at him when he spoke up. 

“Hey,” he whispered, his nose prodding the side of her neck just before leaving a kiss on her skin. “Sleep well?” 

“Yeah,” she replied. There was a minute of silence before she spoke again. “I wish you could come home with me.” 

“Me too,” he said. “I’ve missed you like crazy.” 

“You have no idea.”

They laid there for a while afterwards. Betty flipped to face him at one point, softly kissing his lips. As they began tenderly making out, Betty tried to take it further, reaching for his shirt. Jughead pulled back then. 

“Betty,” he said, looking at her. She didn’t want to hear it, diving her face into his neck and kissing his sensitive skin. “Betty, no.” 

She finally pulled back then. 

“What?” 

“You need to go home. We have to keep up the image.” 

“Jug—“ 

“Betty,” he said to her. “We’ve come so far. We’re so close.” 

“I need you, Juggie,” she whimpered. “Please just hold me.” 

“You have to go home,” he said firmly. “I want you to stay too, but the game’s not over yet.” 

“I love you.” 

“I love you too, but you have to go.” 

“When can I come back?” She asked quietly. Jughead sighed. 

“Tomorrow night,” he told her. “You have to bring me dinner, though.” 

“I will,” she told him, climbing over him to get out of the bed. She started putting on her coat. 

“That’s the only thing you’re going to look forward to tomorrow, isn’t it?” He asked, rolling over to look at her. 

“You bet,” she replied, kissing his forehead softly and combing his hair away from his eyes with her fingers. “I like your hair better like this.” 

“Beanieless?” 

“Yeah. It’s really soft.” 

“Stop stalling,” he said. Betty removed her hand from his dark hair. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” 

“Okay,” Betty replied. Jughead propped up on one elbow, his other hand pulling her face down. They kissed tenderly. Betty never wanted it to end. 

“I love you,” Jughead whispered when he pulled away from her lips. 

“I love you too,” she replied, letting go of him. 

Climbing out of the bunker was the hardest thing she had to do that night. She didn’t want to leave him there. 

The second hardest thing Betty had to do was sit in front of her mother’s old video camera and be asked questions about her “relationship” with Archie and about how Donna followed her to the bunker where she met up with Archie after picking up Pop's. When her mother asked when she and Archie had started seeing each other, she didn’t want to answer. When Alice proceeded to tell her that she shouldn’t be ashamed of it (even though she always flipped out at even the mention of her having sex with Jughead in the past), Betty couldn’t lie to her mother’s face anymore. 

“Mom, there’s something I need to tell you,” she said. “Turn the camera off.” Her mother listened for once in her life. “Please don’t scream when I tell you this.” 

“You’re pregnant and it’s Archie’s.” 

“No!” 

“You’re pregnant and it’s Jughead’s.” 

“Mom!” 

“Sorry,” she said. “What is it, honey?” 

“Jughead’s alive. His death was faked,” Betty stated simply. 

Alice knocked over the tripod as she hastily stood up. Betty got her to calm down as she explained everything that happened. She told her about everyone that was in on it and how Jughead was currently hiding in the bunker. 

“So he was in there when you lured Donna and made out with Archie?” 

“Yeah…” Betty replied. “He hid under the cot.” 

“And what did he have to say about that?” 

“About me kissing Archie?” Betty asked. She nodded. “We haven’t… talked about it.” 

“But you saw him tonight.” 

“We had other things to discuss,” Betty replied. “I hadn't seen him in a while. Archie’s usually the one that runs food and supplies for him because Donna’s been on my tail.” 

“I see,” Alice said. “I’ll tell you what, Elizabeth. I know you’ve had a hard time this week with everything that’s been going on. It’s been a very emotional week for you, I know. I saw how puffy your eyes were when you walked in the front door.” Betty touched under her eyes self-consciously. “Go spend the night with him tomorrow. I’ll even give you money for Pop’s if you want to pick up food for you both.” 

“Really?” Betty asked, feeling as if she were going to start crying again. 

“I’m serious, Betty,” Alice replied. “As long as you text me by 9AM… and as long as you’re safe.” 

“Mom!” 

“I know you are, I was just joking,” she said. “You deserve to be happy, Betty. Jughead makes you more happy than anything else, I’ve realized these past few weeks.”

Betty was so happy to hear that. It wasn’t quite approval, but it was the closest thing she was going to get from Alice Smith. Betty, overwhelmed, couldn’t respond. She hugged her mother tightly, crashing into her arms. 

“Thank you,” she whispered, on the verge of tears. 

“You’re welcome, honey,” Alice replied, running her hand over her daughter’s back comfortingly. “I love you.” 

“I love you too, mom,” Betty told her, allowing herself to smile. 

As soon as school got out the next day, Betty (very subtly) left Riverdale High as quick as she could. She ran home and grabbed her overnight bag, then phoned in an order to Pop’s as she drove to the restaurant. Pop almost met her at the door as she ran in and grabbed the white bag and two milkshakes before bolting back to the car. Betty sped over to Fox Forest and made sure to park her mother’s car discreetly. She got out of the station wagon quickly, slinging her duffel over her shoulder and grabbing the Pop’s order. She walked as fast as humanly possible while looking over her shoulder every so often to make sure Donna or Bret weren’t a few steps behind her. 

She found the bunker with ease, dropping the duffel inside before carefully climbing down with the Pop’s bag and milkshakes. 

“Betty?” Jughead asked, turning around from where he was working at the small folding table. 

She closed and locked the hatch before quickly walking over to where Jughead was. She placed their food on the table, then grabbed Jughead by the collar of his shirt, yanking him up and sealing her mouth to his hastily. 

Jughead was shocked at first, then he pulled her closer by the waist. Betty pulled away from his lips momentarily, her eyes fogged with lust. She shed her coat and let it pool on the floor while Jughead stood there dumbly, looking at her. They hadn’t had sex since before his death had been faked. 

“I need you,” Betty said breathily, taking a hold of his t-shirt again. 

“Hello to you too,” he replied, tugging her closer by the belt loops on her jeans. 

“Shut up and kiss me, Jones,” she told him, yanking him down so they were connected again. 

Their shirts were gone before either of them knew it, their shoes toed off and kicked across the room. Betty had found a good spot to place a hickey while Jughead was trying (and failing) to focus on unclasping Betty’s bra. He eventually pulled it away from her and tossed it somewhere. Pants and socks were hastily tugged and pushed until they both managed to get out of them, only left in their underwear. Betty jumped into Jughead’s arms as soon as her socks with little pandas on them had found their rightful place: on the floor and about thirteen feet from each other. 

Jughead hummed into her mouth as he solidified his arms under her thighs. Betty’s fingers were tangled all up in Jughead’s hair, gripping and pulling at the root while Jughead managed to press Betty’s back into one of the cold cement walls of the bunker. She hissed at the sensation, but dove back into Jughead’s mouth. He had other plans, however, as he pushed her head up, dipping his down to lave kisses (and his tongue) on her neck. Betty’s eyes rolled into the back of her head as she turned to putty in Jughead’s hands. He pressed his hips into hers and lured a moan from her lips. 

“Jug,” she whined, scraping her nails against his shoulders and neck. He grunted. 

“Say it again.” 

“Juggie,” she repeated desperately as he continued to assault her neck with his mouth. 

“I love you so fucking much, Betty Cooper,” he said hoarsely against her skin. 

“I love you too,” Betty whispered, her head resting against the wall with her eyes closed. 

Jughead very quickly pulled away from the wall, hitched her up higher around his waist, then backed her against the concrete wall in one swift movement. She groaned at the shift just as Jughead kissed down her chest, sealing his searing mouth over her nipple. Her back arched up, but Jughead pushed her down, trapping her against the wall as he made his way with her. Just when Betty didn’t think it could get better, Jughead switched sides abruptly. 

Betty didn’t think their skin could be any closer until Jughead started working her underwear down. How he managed to get off hers and his own while keeping his grip on her, she never knew. She could only feel how hard he was as their flesh collided. 

“Jug,” she managed to choke out. “Fuck me. Please.” 

“Christ, Betts,” he replied. “No condom.” 

“Pill,” she said choppily. “Hurry up. Please.” 

Almost without warning, Jughead quickly lined up and slid all the way into her. They had to stop for a minute to adjust to the sensation, their foreheads solidified against each other. 

“Good?” He asked. 

“Yeah,” she breathed, her hands moving to his shoulders for stability. “Yes.” 

Jughead started a little slower than Betty wanted him to go. 

“Jug?” 

“Yeah?” 

“More.” 

“Fuck.” 

Jughead picked up a relentless pace, his hips meeting hers. Betty knew she’d be sore and/or bruised later, but she didn’t give a shit. She’d never regret it. The sound of skin against skin was almost deafening as Jughead pounded into Betty. Her head lolled back, Jughead claiming her neck with his mouth again. It was rough, it was fast, it was glorious. Betty felt herself melting in Jughead’s touch. His thrusts began hitting a new angle inside of her that made Betty knock her forehead against Jughead's, her nails scratching his shoulders and biceps while she kissed him sloppily. Her tongue slipped against his and he bit down on her lower lip. 

“Keep going, Jug,” she panted. “I’m so close.” 

“Me too, shit,” he replied, almost out of breath. 

“A little more,” she pleaded. Jughead went deeper inside of her than he’d ever gone before, ripping a whine from Betty’s throat. 

He slammed into her as hard as he could and she crested beautifully. It was only a moment later that the sensation of her around him took him into nirvana as well. They were sweaty and out of breath as Jughead gently worked them down from their respective climaxes. Betty wrapped her arms around him, her head resting against the top of his as his lazy strokes came to a slow. 

“Oh my God,” Betty breathed, keeping her grip on him as he gently pulled out of her. She could feel their combined come sliding down the inside of her thigh as Jughead pulled them away from the wall. He walked over to the cot, laying her down before he joined her. Betty melted into his side like she always did, drawing patterns on his skin with the tips of her fingers. 

“One day you’re going to be the death of me,” he whispered and they chuckled together while Betty pulled at the covers to keep them warm. 

“That was amazing,” she replied, brushing her hair from her sweaty forehead. “Thank you.” 

“Always happy to make love to my girlfriend.” Jughead rolled Betty onto her back, looking down at her. 

“What?” 

Jughead leaned down, kissing her softly. 

“I’m so thankful for you, that’s all,” he replied. 

“And why would that be, Mr. Jones?” 

“You brought Pop’s.” 

“Is that you asking if you can leave to bring it over?” 

“Yes?” 

Betty laughed, but let him out to go get the bag of food. 

They learned the hard way that eating fast food while naked and in bed wasn’t a good combination. Instead of putting ketchup on one of the many napkins that Pop had supplied them, Jughead put a dollop on Betty’s chest and used one of his fries to swipe it off. Betty was not down for food play, so she threw Jughead’s shirt and boxers at him and made him get dressed. She put on one of Jughead’s clean shirts and found her underwear before climbing back in bed so they could finish their milkshakes. 

They laid there, just trying to memorize each other’s bodies by soft touches over t-shirts. Betty was trying to count all of the freckles on Jughead’s face when she finally broke the silence. 

"Even by our standards, this was a pretty crazy week,” she said. 

"Well, pretending to be dead is one thing... but hiding under a cot in this sex bunker of death while you make out with Archie just to convince a bunch of evil preppies that I did die…"

"Yeah, definitely cracks the top ten craziest things…” she agreed. “But it worked. And now Donna will start doubting herself… this whole thing is a game of confidence, and what happens when you don’t have confidence? Mistakes are made.” Jughead looked at her proudly. "And bonus, you’ll have all of this uninterrupted time to figure out how the pieces of the mystery fit together."

“And an additional bonus is that they won’t come back to finish my botched braining,” he added. Betty hummed in agreement. 

“Well, I never thought I’d say it, but God bless that beanie for cushioning the blow, even just a little bit,” Betty said as Jughead brought his fingers up to trace over the four stitches in his forehead. “Speaking of that,” she began. “Close your eyes and hold out your hand.” He looked like he wanted to laugh, but he did as she said. Betty trotted over to her duffel bag and pulled out what she wanted. She sat on the cot before placing it in his hand. “Open.” 

Jughead looked down at the charcoal knit beanie in his hand. He was dumbfounded. 

“Betty, when did you have time to do this?” 

She giggled. 

“We all manage our stress in different ways,” she told him as he pulled it over his head to the tips of his ears. “My mom had her documentary… I taught myself how to knit.” She adjusted the hat on his head softly. 

“Are you sure telling your mom was a good idea?” He asked then. 

“Well… considering Charles, your dad, Jellybean, Dr. Curdle Jr, and Mrs. Andrews are all in on it, yeah it felt like the prudent thing to do,” Betty replied. 

“Okay, that’s fair enough,” he agreed. There was a small pause where Betty could tell Jughead felt slightly uncomfortable. She fixed his new beanie a little more. “When you kissed Archie… none of those old feelings came back… did they?” He asked. Betty was able to hear how self conscious he was just by the waver of his voice. She knew that he still didn’t feel like he was good enough, and that sometimes he feared that she would eventually go back to Archie. It hurt her heart to hear him think that about himself. He was the greatest thing that had ever happened to her. 

“Jugheaaad…” she chided. “No! Of course not! Okay?” She assured him. “Don’t be silly… **_You know you’re the only man for me_ **…” She watched Jughead smile a little, once more assured that he was the only person she ever wanted to go through life with. “And our scheming can take a night off, don’t you think?” 

Betty rose from the cot, straddling Jughead’s lap. He pulled her down swiftly and she smiled. Betty cupped his face and giggled before kissing him. His hands were on her waist as he rocked back. Betty’s hands slid down to hold his shoulders while he cupped her face in his hands. 

Betty knew as soon as she sat on his lap that if she had to go out, she’d do it like this: straddling the love of her life’s lap while they kissed softly… 

Maybe she’d prefer less clothes, though. 

**_fin_ **


End file.
